From Russia, with love: Getting to know the country’s traditional cuisine

Published: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 05:13 PM.

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The world’s top athletes have been going head to head in Sochi, Russia, for nearly two weeks now for the Winter Olympics. Through television sets, viewers have seen some of the sights of Russia, and it seems only appropriate to delve into the tastes of Russia for our Food section.

Russians today have a variety of foods and restaurants available to them, from fast food staples like McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Shake Shack to Italian and Chinese eateries, according to Russian historian Jennifer Eremeeva. However, the country still cherishes many traditional dishes, some that date back hundreds or even thousands of years.

“All the regions have contributed to Russian cuisine,” said Eremeeva, an American writer who for the past 20 years has split her residency between Russia and Massachusetts. “I think their national cuisine is something they’re very proud of.”

Eremeeva offered her expertise on traditional meals and popular dishes in Russia.

Traditional meals The traditional Russian meal is centered along meat; grain, the most popular of which is buckwheat; and vegetables such as beats, turnips and potatoes. Here are some examples of typical meals: * Breakfast items are porridge, kasha (cereal) or sausage (similar to salami) with sliced cheese and bread. There’s a big emphasis on dairy, and cottage and curd cheeses are popular. * Lunch includes a cold starter like salad, soup and a hot dish like meat and potatoes. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. * For dinner, it’s normally meat and potatoes again and a salad.

Famous food and drink * Borscht is a beet root soup made vegetarian or with lamb, beef or pork. This “hearty, rich, wonderful soup” is purple in color. * Blini are thin pancakes, similar to crepes. They can be made sweet by pairing with raspberry or strawberry jam; or savory by pairing with caviar, fish and sour cream. Feb. 24 starts Russia’s Pancake Week, which is a week of feasting before Lent. * Shashlik is Russian barbecue, which is vinegar/oil-brined meat grilled over an open flame. “It’s usually the men who do it, and it’s the only time you see the men step into the kitchen,” Eremeeva said. It’s similar to Southern-style barbecue, and sauce is served on the side. It’s usually wrapped in lavasch (similar to pita bread). * Pelemeniare dumplings, which are normally made with pork and served with sour cream. Women often get together to make large quantities of these at a time and freeze them. * Pryaniki is gingerbread, which Russians have been making since pre-Christian days. “They’re usually made in the shape of birds, and they have honey filling. They’re really, really good,” Eremeeva said. * Kvass is a semi-alcoholic, sweet drink made from fermented bread and spiced with honey or cinnamon.

More fun food facts * The samovar, a metal kettle for boiling water for tea, is the symbol of Russian cuisine and hospitality. Huge samovars havebeen set up in Sochi for the Olympics. * Russians eat fish nearly as much as they do other meats. Salmon and sturgeon are favorites. * Russians love ice cream, which the country originally obtained from the United States. * Sushi is very popular in Russia and can be found in the majority of restaurants. Eremeeva calls it “the national dish.”

The world’s top athletes have been going head to head in Sochi, Russia, for nearly two weeks now for the Winter Olympics. Through television sets, viewers have seen some of the sights of Russia, and it seems only appropriate to delve into the tastes of Russia for our Food section.

Russians today have a variety of foods and restaurants available to them, from fast food staples like McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Shake Shack to Italian and Chinese eateries, according to Russian historian Jennifer Eremeeva. However, the country still cherishes many traditional dishes, some that date back hundreds or even thousands of years.

“All the regions have contributed to Russian cuisine,” said Eremeeva, an American writer who for the past 20 years has split her residency between Russia and Massachusetts. “I think their national cuisine is something they’re very proud of.”

Eremeeva offered her expertise on traditional meals and popular dishes in Russia.

Traditional meals
The traditional Russian meal is centered along meat; grain, the most popular of which is buckwheat; and vegetables such as beats, turnips and potatoes. Here are some examples of typical meals:
* Breakfast items are porridge, kasha (cereal) or sausage (similar to salami) with sliced cheese and bread. There’s a big emphasis on dairy, and cottage and curd cheeses are popular.
* Lunch includes a cold starter like salad, soup and a hot dish like meat and potatoes. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day.
* For dinner, it’s normally meat and potatoes again and a salad.

Famous food and drink
* Borscht is a beet root soup made vegetarian or with lamb, beef or pork. This “hearty, rich, wonderful soup” is purple in color.
* Blini are thin pancakes, similar to crepes. They can be made sweet by pairing with raspberry or strawberry jam; or savory by pairing with caviar, fish and sour cream. Feb. 24 starts Russia’s Pancake Week, which is a week of feasting before Lent.
* Shashlik is Russian barbecue, which is vinegar/oil-brined meat grilled over an open flame. “It’s usually the men who do it, and it’s the only time you see the men step into the kitchen,” Eremeeva said. It’s similar to Southern-style barbecue, and sauce is served on the side. It’s usually wrapped in lavasch (similar to pita bread).
* Pelemeniare dumplings, which are normally made with pork and served with sour cream. Women often get together to make large quantities of these at a time and freeze them.
* Pryaniki is gingerbread, which Russians have been making since pre-Christian days. “They’re usually made in the shape of birds, and they have honey filling. They’re really, really good,” Eremeeva said.
* Kvass is a semi-alcoholic, sweet drink made from fermented bread and spiced with honey or cinnamon.

More fun food facts
* The samovar, a metal kettle for boiling water for tea, is the symbol of Russian cuisine and hospitality. Huge samovars havebeen set up in Sochi for the Olympics.
* Russians eat fish nearly as much as they do other meats. Salmon and sturgeon are favorites.
* Russians love ice cream, which the country originally obtained from the United States.
* Sushi is very popular in Russia and can be found in the majority of restaurants. Eremeeva calls it “the national dish.”

Preheat the oven to “roast” at 425 degrees and adjust the rack to the middle of the oven. Scrub the beets with a vegetable brush, taking care not to break the skin. Wrap each individual beet in aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet. Roast the beets for 45 minutes, until the tip of a small knife goes easily into the beets. Remove them from the oven and let cool completely. This can be done ahead of time.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil, then cook the onion and garlic until soft. If you plan to use meat, toss the meat with the onion and garlic mix, salt and pepper to taste, and brown for 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and toss to coat. Add the stock, drained tomatoes, carrots, and brown sugar and pomegranate syrup. Cover and let simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

As the soup is cooking, prepare the beets. Use a small paring knife to peel the skin from the beets and then cut them into your desired shape. Fold the beets into the soup and stir gently. Cover and let cook for an additional 20 minutes. Add the sauerkraut and its juice and chopped dill and stir through. Adjust seasonings to taste and let simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and more chopped dill.

Heat 3 cups of the milk in a saucepan until it is about to simmer. Remove from heat and pour into a non-reactive bowl and let cool to lukewarm (225 degrees). When the milk has reached the desired temperature, add 1 tsp. of the sugar and all of the yeast to the bowl. Gently stir to combine, then let stand until foam begins to gather on the surface (up to 7 minutes). Whisk in half of the flour (1 ½ cups) until the mixture is smooth. Cover with a clean cloth, and place in a warm place with no draughts. Let stand until the mixture doubles in bulk (up to 75 minutes).

Melt the butter and let cool to room temperature. Whisk in butter, remaining flour, 2 Tbs. of vegetable oil, and the remainder of the sugar (4 tsp.). Set aside in the same warm place, covered, until the mixture doubles in bulk again (up to 50 minutes). Bring the remainder of the milk (1¼ cups) to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, and pour into the batter, whisking steadily as you do.

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks until they take on a thicker consistency (3 minutes) and stir into the batter. In a separate bowl, or in a standing mixer, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold them into the batter. Cover the batter and place in the same warm space and let cover a final time for up to 50 minutes.

Prepare the blini pan: Use a flat, non-stick skillet and medium-high heat. Pour vegetable oil into a small bowl. Cut the potato in half, then insert a fork into the skin side. Dip the potato into the vegetable oil, then rub it over the surface of the heated blini pan.

Ladle ¼ cup of batter onto the prepared skillet. Cook until you see bubbles on the surface of the blini. Flip with a spatula and cook for another minute on the other side. Flip again for a 30-second finish. Work as quickly as you can pouring the batter so that the surface of the blini is one smooth color. Keep the blini warm in a 300-degree oven loosely tented with aluminum foil, or store for up to 2 days in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or oven.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt. Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and thick. Gently heat the honey and ginger in double boiler until warmed through. Stir the honey and vanilla into the beaten egg mixture. Mix in the dry ingredients to form stiff dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Make the icing: Combine confectioner sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest together until smooth. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the tack in the middle of the oven. Butter or grease two cookie sheets.

Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1-centimeter thickness. Cut the cookies to roughly 5 centimeters in diameter, depending on the shape and cutters you use. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets at 2-inch intervals. Bake for 9 minutes; rotate the sheet, hen bake for an additional 9 minutes (total 18 minutes or until the cookies are just golden).

Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the tray, and then transfer them to a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes. Glaze cookies with icing.